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SCO and Xenix let you drive a large number of text terminals or POS systems from a cheap PC. I worked on a factory automation system that had a huge number of

SCO and Xenix let you drive a large number of text terminals or POS systems from a cheap PC. I worked on a factory automation system that had a huge number of serial cables connecting sensors and terminals up to a machine that could barely have run a graphical word processor. It was fantastic, but doomed by open source; you had to pay thousands for extra modules like the C compiler and TCP stack etc, which started to seem a bit absurd by the early 90s. It's a shame their name was later dragged through the mud by people completely unrelated to the original project! There's some good info here: http://www.softpanorama.org/People/Torvalds/Finland_period/xenix_microsoft_shortlived_love_affair_with_unix.shtml http://www.softpanorama.org/People/Torvalds/Finland_period/x...

neilv 6y ago
Xenix support for multiple terminals played a part in a distributed specialized CRM system, for which I had some small gigs helping launch as a kid. IIUC, each of the many field locations could run the software locally on either (if the location needed only one simultaneous user) an 8088-based Sperry PC running MS-DOS, or (if multiple simultaneous users) an 80286-based Sperry PC, running Xenix, with terminals hanging off it. Yes, there was `hack` on these Xenix '286 systems. :) I think the official terminals might've been the popular Wyse WY-50, but there were also some unusual Tatung terminals kicking around the same organization. IIUC, the field location PCs had modems for infrequently sending data back to HQ (maybe sharing the main voice POTS line for some locations, after business hours). I imagine that the ability to use cheap PC hardware and dumb terminals made economic sense. Compared to a centralized minicomputer, and a bunch of dial-up dumb terminals and dedicated phone lines.
olgeni 6y ago
> you had to pay thousands for extra modules like the C compiler You could build gcc by means of the "hidden" C compiler in SCO Open Desktop, which was used to rebuild spaces.c and then relink the kernel when changing the configuration \o/
tonyarkles 6y ago
I’m laughing so hard at this. I had a single exposure to SCO, and it was in exactly that configuration: a clothing factory that had a ton of dumb terminals slung onto it with serial-to-Ethernet concentrators. The whole factory setup seemed a little janky, but the client was very very happy with it, and it seemed rock solid in daily use.

neilv 6y ago

Xenix support for multiple terminals played a part in a distributed specialized CRM system, for which I had some small gigs helping launch as a kid. IIUC, each of the many field locations could run the software locally on either (if the location needed only one simultaneous user) an 8088-based Sperry PC running MS-DOS, or (if multiple simultaneous users) an 80286-based Sperry PC, running Xenix, with terminals hanging off it. Yes, there was `hack` on these Xenix '286 systems. :) I think the official terminals might've been the popular Wyse WY-50, but there were also some unusual Tatung terminals kicking around the same organization. IIUC, the field location PCs had modems for infrequently sending data back to HQ (maybe sharing the main voice POTS line for some locations, after business hours). I imagine that the ability to use cheap PC hardware and dumb terminals made economic sense. Compared to a centralized minicomputer, and a bunch of dial-up dumb terminals and dedicated phone lines.

olgeni 6y ago

> you had to pay thousands for extra modules like the C compiler You could build gcc by means of the "hidden" C compiler in SCO Open Desktop, which was used to rebuild spaces.c and then relink the kernel when changing the configuration \o/

tonyarkles 6y ago

I’m laughing so hard at this. I had a single exposure to SCO, and it was in exactly that configuration: a clothing factory that had a ton of dumb terminals slung onto it with serial-to-Ethernet concentrators. The whole factory setup seemed a little janky, but the client was very very happy with it, and it seemed rock solid in daily use.